O’Donoghue Cup GAA All Stars shine brightly

ON the same night as the Tyrone senior football panel was billeted in the Brehon Hotel there was arguably more football talent in the banqueting suite where the 2018 East Kerry GAA All Star team was being announced.

The presence of Eoin Brosnan alone among the 24 nominees meant there were more All-Ireland senior medals at the East Kerry event than there was at the Tyrone team meeting across the hotel lobby, and the feel-good factor generated by another brilliantly organised and executed night by the East Kerry Board carried into the next day as Kerry beat Tyrone in the National League opener up the road in Fitzgerald Stadium.

Almost 200 guests convened in the Brehon were master of ceremonies, Niall O’Callaghan, kept the atmosphere light and the formalities running along smoothly at the ninth annual Dr O’Donoghue Cup All Star awards. Unsurprisingly the newly crowned champions Dr Crokes dominated the All Star team with 11 awards, while beaten finalists Kilcummin picked up two, the same as Rathmore.

Brosnan was among the All Stars and collected his fifth awards, having won his first on the inaugural night in 2010. There was a fourth All Star for Daithi Casey and first time awards for Jason Lyne and Micheal Burns from Crokes as well as Kilcummin team mates Gary O’Leary and Matt Keane.

Gavin White was named Young (U-21) Footballer of the Championship while Kieran O’Leary, in addition to winning his third All Star, was also named the Senior Footballer of the 2018 O’Donoghue Cup.

“It’s a huge honour for me personally but on behalf of the team it was great to be named among the All Star nominees first of all, then to make the All Star team, and to be selected as the Senior Player of the Year is a great honour on top of that,” the Dr Crokes forward said.

“To be picked out of so many fantastic players on show in a hugely competitive competition is always special but the thing for us is that we really did want to win this championship this year. Rathmore have been so successful in the last few years and it’s just such a competitive championship that anyone could win it so we enjoy them when they come around.

“There’s a healthy rivalry among the clubs in

East Kerry. You’ve a few senior clubs and Division One teams and I suppose ourselves and Rathmore have been in some very tight games over the last few years. They beat us fair and square last year so it was on the ‘to do’ list for us this year to really try and win it back. There’s massive history in this competition. It’s where you start your football, it’s where you’ll finish playing your football, it’s your local district and you want to be kings of that patch.”

East Kerry Board chairman Johnny Brosnan congratulated all the award winners and thanked all his fellow officers, the Brehon Hotel staff, and musicians from the local clubs who provided the entertainment.

Paul Brennan, sports editor of The Kerryman, and Eamon Quigley, manager of the Aquila Club, spoke on behalf of the All Star awards sponsors.

Colette, Daithi and Neilus Casey at the Dr O’Donoghue Cup East Kerry All Stars Awards Gala Banquet on Saturday evening

Geraldine Payne, Denise O’Sullivan and Therese White at the Dr O’Donoghue Cup East Kerry All Stars Awards Gala Banquet

Mark Ryan East Kerry All Star with his parents Sean and Patricia at the Dr O’Donoghue Cup East Kerry All Stars

The Glenflesk ballad group of Caitlin Cronin, Eabha Healy, Sinead Gleeson, Sarah Moran and Molly O’Donoghue at the East Kerry All Stars Awards Gala Banquet

Senior Footballer of the Year, Kieran O’Leary, with his uncle Pat O’Donoghue, the Hall of Fame recipient, and at the Dr O’Donoghue Cup East Kerry All Stars awards at The Brehon Hotel